An Artist's Muse
by DeletedAccountNotChangingMind
Summary: Okay, I admit I broke her nose but she had it coming! So I made her face puff up, I made her eyes black, and maybe her nose is a little out of place, why do I have to take her place as Inuyasha's muse?
1. A Model

**Disclaimer: No pwnage, sorry.**

...

**An Artist's Muse**

**By: Sombra112**

**A Model**

"And what is this?" A very old man asked as he and his equally old female companion stopped in front of a gorgeous panting.

"Oh, darling. It's beautiful." the woman said looking at it admiringly.

Every year the Tokyo Museum held an art exhibition for raw talent. Up-and-comers, newbies, diamonds in the rough; they all got their best work hung in the museum. Art collectors from all over Japan, and even some from out of the country, came to look and admire the art.

Not to mention bid on their favorites.

The old man was a great lover of art, only his wife meant more to him. And she loved accompanying him to the many different places and seeing so many wonderful paintings and sculptures and glass. They came to this exhibition every year. She wore her pearl colored dress, he wore his nice suit, and they mingled with the other art lovers and artists.

"Do you like it?" a young man with glasses asked appearing at the old man's elbow.

"Ah, very much." the old man said not taking his eyes off of it. "The colors and shades are just so...captivating."

"It's so...odd." the woman said tilting her head and making the young man laugh.

"It's a Takahashi." he said admiring the painting himself. "I imagine he'll be a household name soon."

"It's an incredible portrait." the old man smiled. "Can you tell me who the young...woman is?"

The young man laughed again. "So you noticed, huh?"

"It seems like there's two people." the woman remarked. "But there is obviously only one."

"There's an interesting story behind it." the man said. "There _is_ two women in that painting." he continued when the couple looked at him curiously. "But there _is_ only one body."

"Quite confusing." the old man remarked. "What is the story?"

"Well, it started a few months ago..." the man started and smiled. He laughed. "Gosh, it seems like only yesterday."

"Oh, do stop with the suspense, my old heart can't take it." the old woman chided gently with a smile. "Tell us."

"I'd rather not." he said suddenly reluctant. "It's a long story."

"Well, you've got us curious now." the old man laughed. "Go on, we have all night."

"Well, if you insist." the man smiled. "It was a few months ago, at the end of the school year. Summer was just starting. And everything starts, with a single punch..."

* * *

Kagome blinked, unsure of what had just happened. She was standing there, frozen in shock, her fist still outstretched.

The whole cafe had fallen silent and stared with wide eyes at the scene in front of them.

It had been a normal day. Kagome had got up, got dressed, and decided to come to this small cafe to get breakfast instead of cooking.

That's where she met The Bitch.

The Bitch had long hair, long legs, big eyes, big breasts, and a really big attitude.

"Ugh." she had sneered at Kagome. "I hate copycats."

Kagome hadn't really known what had happened. She hadn't even been paying attention to _anything_much less to The Bitch. She was wearing sweat pants rolled at the waist because they were too big and a maroon T-shirt from the university with the gold letters TU on the front. A direct contrast to The Bitch who looked like she had just come from a beauty parlor in her designer jeans and trendy, pink shirt with matching pumps.

But it was Kagome's unfortunate luck to look nearly identicle to her.

The Bitch's face was sharper and her legs longer and her skin creamier, but there was definitely a similarity to their features.

"I'm sorry?" Kagome had said hoping she was talking to someone else.

"Look, I know I'm cute, but you need to get your own style." The Bitch had sneered the 'advice'.

Kagome had looked around but The Bitch was obviously talking to her. She turned back around and said back, "I don't even know you. What are you talking about?"

"Sure you don't." she had smirked. "Seen my portraits on campus?" she indicated to Kagome's Tokyo University shirt.

After that it was all a big mess. Shouting ensued, Kagome was in her face, The Bitch was right back, unfortunately the taller as Kagome wasn't wearing heels but her raggedy tennis shoes she had owned, and abused, for over three years.

Anyway, one thing led to another and before Kagome knew it, her fist had shot out and landed square on The Bitch's nose.

"Ow!" The Bitch moaned and sat up.

"Uh-oh." Kagome said quietly. Her anger management teacher would not like this one bit. Kagome grimaced at the lecture he would give her when she saw blood start pouring down her face and soaking into her shirt. "Oh, this is not good." she moaned to herself as the people in the cafe converged on the injured woman.

She didn't find out how just 'not good' it was until a few hours later in the hospital.

She was sitting in the waiting room, waiting for the officer to release her to her anger management instructor, when _he_ came.

He had the look of a guy who didn't smile and if he did it was few and far in between. His hair was long and black and fell straight down his back. He had on baggy, paint splattered jeans and a paint splattered red shirt. His eyes were violet and burning with anger.

"You! You did it!" he growled at her as he marched over to her.

Immediately the officer that was making sure she stayed put stood at attention, probably to make sure no more violence broke out.

"What are you, her boyfriend?" Kagome asked looking at him carefully. Punching the lightweight was one thing, he would present a much more difficult challenge as he had a foot and probably a good hundred pounds of muscle on her.

"She's my model, and you ruined her FACE!" He yelled at her as he clenched his fists looking like he would like nothing more than to punch _her._

_An artist_, Kagome realized belatedly. _And I ruined his model's face. I'm screwed._

"What are you going to do about..." he suddenly cut off and looked her over.

The officer kept an eye on him, obviously as scared by this sudden silence as she was.

"I like you." he said suddenly continuing to look her over.

"Well, I didn't see that coming." Kagome muttered.

"You, you're taking her place." he said suddenly.

"Wait a minute, what!" she tried to say but he cut her off.

"You punched my model in the face, be happy I'm not pressing charges and I'm keeping _her_ from doing so." he growled at her.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to be a model." Kagome protested. "Why can't you just wait for her to heal?"

"The artist's exhabition is in three months." he growled at her. "I don't have time to wait! Now you will be my model or we will press charges!"

Kagome opened her mouth to argue back but she looked at the officer. She really couldn't afford to have another mark on her record. He was giving her a way out. She had to take it, after all, how hard could modeling be?

"Who are you?" she asked eyeing.

"Name's Inuyasha." he growled. "Dorm C, room 115. Be there at 5 o'clock."

"5?" Kagome repeated.

"AM." he clarified and watched her jaw drop.

"You can't-"

"I can and I am." he pointed out. "Be there, or I'm pressing charges."

Without another word, he turned and stormed off in the direction of The Bitch, or as Kagome had learned her name, Kikyo.

"This is so unfair." she moaned. But she would rather be a model than be in juvie.


	2. A Sunrise

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Sunrise**

Kagome growled uselessly.

What an asshole. Okay, maybe punching the stuck-up bitch was a bit too much no matter how much she deserved it. Still, why was she being punished so cruelly? 5 AM. What sadistic schmuck thought up 5 AM anyway?

"Will you stop yawning?"

Kagome glared at Inuyasha and he glared right back.

She had shown up, very unwillingly, at his house at 5:06 AM and he nearly killed her for being that late. Then he threw some clothes at her and told her to change. She hadn't even looked at it because she had been halfway asleep. Then he had taken her, still halfway asleep, to the beach before the sun had even risen. Then he had spent the better part of an hour positioning her on an outcropping of rocks.

She was facing the rising sun, her knees drawn up to her chest as the fresh sea air tossed her hair around, blew the thin white dress up slightly, and woke her just as efficiently as a cup of coffee. But she couldn't stop her yawns and they were making Inuyasha, who had his sketch pad open and was staring at her about ten feet away, get angrier and angrier as the sun kept rising.

"I'm tired." she glared.

"You should have thought of that before punching Kikyo in the face." he grumbled as he bent back over his sketch pad.

The Wench was being difficult.

He was trying to get the shape of her face right. As similar as she was to Kikyo she was still different enough to drive him crazy. He didn't bring his easel today, he wanted to just draw her first. Get used to her shape, her expressions, her-THOSE DAMN YAWNS!

"Will you stop!"

Kagome glared at him again.

Difficult was too tame a word for her. She wouldn't relax, making him doubly glad he hadn't brought his easel today. He was making a pair of paintings for the exhibition and was going to call them Sunrise and Sunset. His model was supposed to look calm and relaxed at the beginning of the day and excited and happy at the end. But Kagome's jaw was too stiff to be calm and her form to rigid to be relaxed.

"You're messing me up." Inuyasha snarled. Her face, he was having such trouble with her face.

"Yeah well, you're cutting into my sleeping time." she said back. "I have to be at work at 10, you know."

"Whatever." he said turning his eyes back to his sketch pad. He wanted Kikyo back but with her eyes and nose messed up she was useless to him. He had to make due with her replacement.

Kagome grimaced as he went back to drawing. Stupid, temperamental artist. Why couldn't he just paint something else for the exhibition? Why was Kikyo so important?

She hadn't told her friends yet, she was sure they would laugh. Not just because Kagome had punched someone, again, but because she was being forced to model for this idiot.

She shivered slightly and could practically hear Inuyasha's frustration with her. She couldn't help it, she was cold. The white dress he had given her, while pretty, was designed more for summer than the chill of late fall. It wasn't warm enough for the thin fabric with a touch of feminine lace at the neckline. It looked almost like a night gown that only went to her mid-thigh, which she supposed was the point. After all, what reasonable human being wouldn't be sleeping at this kami forsaken hour?

She supposed she should be thankful he wasn't making her pose nude. Though if that were the case she would probably take the assault charge.

Kagome closed her eyes, he couldn't object to that too strongly she thought. While her mind completely ignored Inuyasha's existence, she focused on herself instead. The breeze was nice. The sound of it blowing past her ears was just enough to block out any city noise and the sound of Inuyasha's pencil. It made her feel alone and strangely secure. The ocean spray, while cold, smelled of salt and brought back memories of her being on the beach with her friends and family. Memories that brought her joy and happiness. The rock under her, though hard, was surprisingly comfortable. It was steady and firm and as she took in a deep breath she felt all the tension leave her body.

There!

The Wench had finally relaxed.

Whether she noticed it or not, her head had tilted back slightly to get better access to the breeze and spray and her chest expanded more as she took in deep, steady breaths. Inuyasha's hand flew across the page, correcting and changing things. Her shoulders were down now, rounded and relaxed, and she looked natural. It was as if she had always been there and the rock had molded to her form instead of the other way around. Her eye's were closed, which wasn't what he had planned, but it was working. It wasn't until he was tracing her jaw line that he noticed the slight upturn of her lips, as if she were enjoying a pleasant dream.

He paused to look at her, really look, and wondered what she was thinking that was so nice. Then, as the rising sun did what it did best, the light his her just the way he had always wanted and made the ocean burst into many different, soft, colors. The colors bounced off the water and hit her dress, hit her skin, and brought out a glow he hadn't noticed before.

Then, again, his hand was darting across the paper like a dragonfly over the water as he struggled to capture the beauty of the moment. The sun had never been as cooperative with Kikyo. Clouds or some other thing would always interfere. The ocean would come alive, yes, but the beauty had never reached Kikyo like this, like he wanted.

As he was struggling to get down the details, Kagome's eyes opened and looked into the rising sun. Just like that, her drab brown eyes were transformed into glowing jewels the color of amber. The black of her hair was shinier, more colorful than a rainbow yet still as dark as a raven's wing. There was no way he could get this all down.

Kagome heard his pencil breaking land speed records and had been unable to resist opening her eyes. But instead of looking at him like she planned, she saw instead a startlingly pretty sunrise made of delicate pinks and lovely oranges and it stole her attention completely.

For a few minutes, they sat like that. Both were silent, both were absorbed in their own thoughts.

"Okay. We're done."

Kagome looked, surprised, at Inuyasha. He was closing his book and standing up.

"Be here again at 6." was all he said before walking away.

"Huh?" she blinked confused. A second ago his pencil had been scribbling furiously and now he was walking away.

Stupid, temperamental artist.


	3. A Day

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Day**

Sango was busting a gut. Bent over, a hand to her stomach, the other steadying her against the counter, tears welled up in her eyes and she was cracking a few ribs trying to keep it contained. She didn't want the customers out on the floor to hear her sudden explosion of laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up." Kagome grumbled as she leaned against the same counter, her arms crossed.

Their black polo shirts seemed almost seamless with their blank pants. The black shoes, that were very comfortable, that adorned their feet matched the black apron tied about their waists. Their hair was down, straight and pretty, and the only color on them was the tiny pink heart on the bottom right of their shirt. Rin's Cafe was all about cuteness, as such it was mostly for girls though guys were welcome if they wanted. They offered tea, sweets, a relaxing atmosphere, and karaoke night on Fridays.

"I can't believe it! You punched some chick and now your a model!" Sango wiped her eyes as she straightened up. "This is just too much."

"Glad you're amused." Kagome grumbled. "I think he's an ass. He had me up at 5 AM!"

"Does that time still exist?" Sango said still chuckling.

"Yeah, apparently. And I need to back tonight." Kagome sighed.

"Order up." Miroku said sliding the freshly baked muffin onto the counter.

"I believe I had a jasmine tea with this?" Sango asked.

He smiled and set a pretty white tea plate down followed by a tea cup. Then he pulled a tea pot off the stove and poured a steaming cup.

"I'll be right back." Sango promised as she picked up the two plates. "Don't go anywhere."

"I have a green tea for table 5." Miroku held up the tea cup temptingly. "It's Old Lady G."

Kagome looked at him, looked at the cup, looked back at him.

"Fine." She grabbed the cup and walked outside into the main parlor. It was a cute place with tasteful glass tables and comfortable chairs. The door was a long window and the actual windows went from ceiling to floor offering the customers a lovely view of the field of flowers Rin built her restaurant in.

"Here you go, ma'am." Kagome said putting the tea in front of Old Lady G. Her real name was unknown but she had a cloth napkin that she always put on her lap with an elaborate 'G' on one corner. None of the waitresses liked being her server because she talked your ear off. But it got her away from Sango and her ridicule.

"Oh, Kagome, right?" Old Lady G smiled at her.

"Yes, ma'am." Kagome nodded as she prepared herself for the speech.

"You're so pretty." Old Lady G smiled at her. "Just like my granddaughter. I imagine she'll be as pretty as you when she grows up. She's just a little thing now but she has such potential. You know last week she gave me a fashion show with her and her dolls as the models. Oh! Just the cutest thing you could ever imagine. And two weeks before that..."

Kagome smiled and nodded as the woman's voice became a buzz in her head. There was only one good thing about Old Lady G. She never required a response from you. She did all the talking herself. Inside Kagome congratulated herself as she felt Sango glaring a hole in her back. Knowing Old Lady G, Kagome was going to be here a while.

"...and I said to her, Ami, that's my daughter-in-law. I said, 'Ami, you're going to spoil that girl rotten'. After all it's not what they look like that matters, it's whats inside. I don't want anyone calling my daughter any four or five letter words." She tsk, tsked then took a deep breath. "So I told Roland what happened. Roland is my middle boy. Just as cute as a button and a very hard worker. So anyway, I told him what happened and gave him..."

Sweet music, Kagome thought triumphantly as she nodded to whatever it was the old woman was saying.

* * *

"So, you got a new model, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha tried not to get irritated at the question. His art instructor meant well but he always seemed to like opening his mouth just when Inuyasha didn't want him to.

"I did." he said shortly as he shaded in the sketch of Kagome. It had turned out much better than he thought it would.

"Is this her?" his art instructor leaned over his shoulder and looked at it. Inuyasha didn't stop moving his pencil but he didn't mind that he was looking. "She looks beautiful. Much softer than Kikyo."

"Mmm." Inuyasha grunted as he created her eyes. Such pretty, expressive eyes. They had looked so calm this morning, when she had finally relaxed.

"Not to say Kikyo wasn't good." his instructor continued as he picked up a sketch of Kikyo in the same position. However, there was something missing in that sketch, something Inuyasha hadn't noticed until he had sketched Kagome. "I imagine it's the feeling of the sketch itself. This Kagome is softer so she looks better with the softer image. Kikyo will probably look better for the evening one."

"Mmm." Inuyasha grunted, having already thought of that.

"What kind of paint will you use?" he asked setting the sketch back down.

"I thought I'd make it an oil painting." Inuyasha looked up at him.

His teacher nodded. "Good idea. I can't wait to see the finished product." He patted Inuyasha's shoulder before moving onto one of his other students and Inuyasha returned to his sketch.

Her eyes were giving him such trouble. He'd have to look closer at those later he decided as he erased them from the sketch. In a way, he was glad Kagome had punched Kikyo. She was a great model but Kagome was working out so much better than he had planned. Besides, he had been painting Kikyo for years. He had portraits of her all over the campus. Maybe it was time he moved onto something different.

* * *

"Thanks for listening." Old Lady G folded her famous napkin and stowed it away before smiling up at Kagome. "You're a sweetie."

"No problem." Kagome grinned back as she picked up her empty tea cup and the plate that had once held a cinnamon bun. "Will there be anything else?"

"No, thank you, dear." Old Lady G smiled and waved as Kagome walked away with the dishes. When she came back, Old Lady G was gone but the money was on the table. Kagome picked it up and counted out the total from her bill. Then recounted, sure she was wrong.

"No way!" Kagome said in a daze as she walked back into the kitchen.

"What?" Sango asked with a small frown.

Kagome looked up at her in shock and held up the larger portion of cash in her hand. "She left me a 5,000 yen tip."

"Get out." Sango said as Kagome recounted.

"I think she's my new favorite customer." Kagome grinned as she put the tip in her apron.


	4. A Kiss

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Kiss**

"Okay, and move this, here." Inuyasha grabbed the arm that was to face him and moved it to her waist. He looked at it for a second, then adjusted it down some.

Kagome tried not to sigh and fidget.

She had gotten her at 5:59 and Inuyasha had already been there. He hadn't said anything, just tossed her a bag then pointed to a restroom right off the beach.

She had rolled her eyes and went to go change.

What she wore now was a direct contrast to what she had worn then. She wasn't sure how he knew what size she wore, she probably didn't want to think about it, but the pants she slipped on fit like a glove. Black leather that hugged her just right and made her ass look really good. A pair of black boots were put on underneath them and her shirt was a blood red tank top with black, long fishnet sleeves. They ended halfway down her hand and there was a thumb hole on each side so they almost acted like gloves.

She put her own clothes in the bag and went out to meet him.

But that wasn't all.

He had taken a look at her and shook his head in frustration.

"It's not just the clothes, stupid." was all he said before taking the bag from her. He opened a side pocket and pulled out a brush.

She wasn't sure how he knew these things, but he pulled down her hair and ran the brush through it. Then pulled it up swiftly into a messy bun at the back of her head. Then he turned her around and began applying make up to her face. Not much, just enough to make her eyes pop and give her lips a little color.

Then he had taken a look at her, nodded in satisfaction, before grabbing his art supplies and leading her down to the same outcropping of rock she had been on this morning.

Now he was just moving her around. Trying to get her into that just right position. Unlike this morning, she wasn't sitting so she had to stand there the whole time and she was facing the opposite way, into the setting sun instead of the rising one.

In heels.

"Not so relaxed." he grumbled as he moved her shoulders up and back. "You're about to go out to dance or drink or something. Look excited."

"Sorry, just can't work up the enthusiasm." she mumbled as he knelt down.

So quick, she was forced to reach out and grab his shoulder for balance, he grabbed her leg and moved it forward.

He kept his hand on her calf as he adjusted her foot and her leg to the proper position.

All the while, Kagome blushed. He didn't seem to care but she couldn't help but notice the intimacy of their position. His grasp wasn't hard or hurtful. It was firm and sure yet almost...caressing.

She thanked kami when he finally got what he wanted and released her.

"Alright. Don't move." he glared as he went back to his position of ten feet away and picked up his sketchbook.

Kagome held still and tried to calm her blush down. She had no right or reason to have any kind of...thoughts about him. She owed him a model, that was all! When he was done they would go their separate ways and be nothing more than a blip on each others otherwise normal lives.

She was tense again. Not as frustrating as it was this morning but still pretty damn annoying. And his instructor was mostly right, this was more of a harder painting than sunrise. But Kagome didn't look wrong as he had predicted. She looked just right.

She was blushing, he had no idea why, but it fit the look he was making. Flushed with excitement was what it looked like. Like she had just done something fun and was off to do some more. Or it would if she would smile and her eyes would sparkle like they had this morning.

Instead she just looked...flushed.

He rolled his eyes and focused on her legs. They had looked great this morning with the wind blowing up her nightgown up just so but they looked even better in the leather pants. Longer, sexier.

Completely from an artists eyes of course. He had no interest in her. She wasn't his type. She had no art in her soul, she was a history major! No art in her soul at all.

Okay, sure, she was physically appealing. But honestly! She was just...not...his...

His train of thought got lost as he gazed up at her. The sun had begun it's final stage of decent just as a strong wing blew and a wave hit the rock and, like magic, the scene before him transformed.

Kagome's hair blew back from her face in a wind much more powerful than it had been that morning as a wave bashed the rock she stood on sending a large amount of water into the sky as her background. The setting sun set the water on fire and put a matching blaze in her eyes. Her smile that she had previously been forcing softened and widened so that it became real and it crinkled the corners of her eyes very prettily.

Inuyasha got lost in staring at her. He had been very, very wrong to think Kagome wouldn't fit in this harder painting. Her softness wasn't a bad contradiction. Instead, it added a level of perfection and beauty that Kikyo's hard stare and half smile had not grasped.

Kagome blinked when she heard his pencil freeze and looked over to him.

He was staring at her, which wouldn't be unusual as he always did that, but this time it was different. He wasn't looking at her with a critical eye. No, he looked...shocked. As if someone had just run up and hit him in the back of the head with a board.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome moved slightly, afraid something was wrong.

She dropped her hand from her hip and angled her body slightly. Her legs hadn't moved but she was still facing him head on with her hair billowing and the waves crashing. And it was more beautiful than the position he had chose.

He dropped his sketchpad and pencil on the rocks and walked toward her purposefully.

"What-!" She gasped as he grabbed her by the neck and pulled her head back so he could lean down and plant a large kiss on her lips.

"Inu-" she tried again but he grabbed her waist with his other hand and pulled her closer.

She hesitated for only a moment more, but then her hands went slowly around his waist and her lips responded to his.

He was kissing her! It was the only thing she could think. He, cranky Inuyasha, was kissing her! And he was damn good at it. Her knees went weak when he took advantage of a quick gasp of breath by her to slip his tongue into her mouth.

She tasted good. Like vanilla and honey. A sweet nectar that he couldn't stop tasting nor did he want to. She wasn't just laying in his arms as he kissed her. No, she was responding. Her body slid against his making all the blood in his head rush...elsewhere. And her tongue fought against his in a battle for dominance that would have no loser.

A part of him knew that he shouldn't be doing this, that it was a bad idea. But the larger part of him was yelling 'KISS HER!' so loud he couldn't hear the smaller voice.

So he stood there on that outcropping of rock and kissed her while the little time he had to sketch her ticked away with the setting sun.

And he didn't care one damn bit.


	5. A Decision

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

Kind of short chapter. Deal with it.

**A Decision**

"...and after that, my granddaughter was running around the house, stark naked!" Old Lady G laughed at her own story and in remembrance of the two year old who had defied the clothes her mother had given to her.

Kagome smiled back but she wasn't really listening. And it wasn't just because she was Old Lady G that she wasn't listening. Her mind was seriously preoccupied.

"Want to talk about it?"

Old Lady G's question startled her. It took her a second to realize that Old Lady G had, for once in anyone's memory, stopped talking and was looking at her with a knowing smile on her face.

"I'm sorry." Kagome said immediatly. "I have a lot on my mind. You were saying?"

"Child, I know when someone isn't hearing a word I say." Old Lady G laughed gently and Kagome was forced to resist a snort. "You're mind is so far gone right now you wouldn't listen to your own mother. Tell me about it."

"I can't." Kagome hesitated. "I don't want to-"

"Child, I'm 52." Old Lady G said bluntly. "I don't have time for dithering. Now, tell me what happened."

"Well..." Kagome bit her lip. She really shouldn't be telling anything to a paying customer. It wasn't right to be unloading a burden to someone during work hours. But she couldn't tell Miroku because he would get this really perverted look in his eye and she couldn't tell Sango because she would tease her mercilessly. Old Lady G was kind, if a bit talkative, and Kagome didn't have to worry about that. Before she knew it, she was spilling her guts to the old woman. She was a surprisingly good listener for someone who talked so much.

"Oh, my." she smiled. "Takahashi, huh? I've seen his paintings at the university. He's very good. And by that blush I'd say painting isn't the only thing he's good at it."

"It was just a kiss."Kagome protested immediately. Yeah, just an earth shattering, body melting, toe curling, please-don't-ever-stop kiss.

"I never said otherwise." Old Lady G looked at her with a laughing twinkle in her eye. "Want my advise, deary?"

"Uh...sure." Kagome mumbled as she tried to let the blush on her cheeks cool.

"Don't even mention it." Old Lady G instructed. "He's probably going to pretend it didn't happen, he'll want you to be flustered."

"Really?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely." She nodded as she folded her silken handkerchief with it's pretty G in one corner."I know men. If you pretend you don't care, it will drive him crazy. Then he'll come to you."

"Are you sure?" Kagome looked at her with hope in her eyes. She had no solution for herself and if this would work without embarressing her she would grasp it with both hands. They hadn't even discussed the kiss. He had kissed her crazy until the sun set. Then he looked up at the black, star speckled sky, then looked back at her. He kissed her once more then left.

"Oh, my yes." Old Lady G laughed. She remembered being young and in love. It was so nice to see it in the younger generation. And if she could smooth over some of the rougher spots then she would. "Trust me. He wants that kiss to have driven you crazy and it will drive him crazy when it, apparently, didn't."

Kagome beamed. "Thanks. Thanks so much."

"No problem, dear." Old Lady G stood up and kissed Kagome's cheek as she slipped something to her. "Good luck."

Kagome watched her leave before looking down at another 5000 yen that had been pressed into her hand.

* * *

Because she had no other options besides coming to Inuyasha on her knees and begging him to kiss her again (and she would much rather not do _that_), Kagome took Old Lady G's advice. She got dressed in her evening pose outfit and drove down to the beach.

"Hurry up." Inuyasha snapped though it looked more out of habit than anything as he had his pad out and was sketching something. But as soon as she walked up, he closed it and looked up at her.

He grunted his approval at her appearance before leading her down to the rock.

He drew her until the sunset, she stayed in just the position he wanted so he never had to bark.

Then the sun set, he closed his pad, said 'night' and walked away.

Kagome sighed and relaxed as she sat down. Nothing. He showed no difference in the way he acted. She wished she could say he was at least looking at her all the time but no. There wasn't anything sexual or interested in his gaze. Just an artist trying to get the right shape or right shading.

She sighed as the cool of the night slipped over her skin. There she sat until the ocean's breeze became too cold for her. Only then did she stand back up, dust off her pants, and leave.

Maybe Old Lady G was wrong, she thought to herself as she drove off. No. It was only one night. She would just wait it out, see what happened. She turned on the radio and let some nice, old fashioned rock float through the air as she drove. That kiss couldn't have just been totally unbelievable to her. He had to have felt..._something_!

Kagome sighed. Or maybe, she was blowing it all out of proportion and he had felt nothing. Maybe that's why he didn't say anything. He was being kind and not letting her feel the humiliation of knowing she was a bad kisser.

She snorted. No way he was that kind. Old Lady G's suggestion was the only way she could think of that didn't end up with her being laughed at our stared at or embarrassed. No. She just wouldn't say anything.

Kagome nodded in satisfaction. There. A nice, solid plan. She would deal with it by doing nothing.


	6. A Meal

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Meal**

"Good Morning, Kagome." her anger management teacher smiled at her as she walked into his office. He looked like, and there was no other word for it, a nerd. Granted, he had a nice face and he wasn't overweight or even underweight. However, the pocket protector, the big, round glasses, and PDA that looked like it could hack a satellite in his hands, and the general air of 'nerd' that floated around him was unmistakable.

"Hi, Dr. Tahiro." Kagome smiled back as she sat down on the couch across from him. She always felt like these anger management classes were more like a phyciatrists visit than anything. He saw her one on one, he took notes on his PDA, and he asked her things like 'and how does that make you feel?'

"I hear you got into a little incident." He said gently.

"Who told you that?" Kagome asked sheepishly.

He pushed a button on his PDA before turning it around to show her.

Kagome watched, via youtube, as she landed her fist right on Kikyo's nose.

"They recorded that?" she asked as Kikyo fell hard to the ground, blood already coming out of her nose.

"There's about three minutes before that of you two arguing." he said turning the PDA back to him and clicking some buttons.

"You don't understand!" Kagome protested. "She was insulting me!"

"And?" he looked at her critically. "What have I told you? Just because some one starts a fight-"

"-doesn't mean I have to finish it." she finished dully.

"Exactly." he nodded. "Now, I have noticed that no charges have been filed."

"Yeah, her uh..." what exactly was Inuyasha to Kikyo? She wondered. "A guy who paints her agreed to get her to drop the charges in return for me being his...model."

Dr. Tahiro looked at her for a second. Then he beamed. "Very good. You're making amends for your wrong. I'm proud of you." His air of 'nerd' got turbocharged as he said, "It is too late to correct mistakes that have happened, that doesn't mean it's too late to make amends for them."

"Yeah, I know." Kagome said unhappily. A nerd who got his life lessons off of fortune cookies. Why did she come to see him again?

* * *

Inuyasha stretched as he took a break and leaned back from his easel. The painting on it right now wasn't Kagome's. It was a painting he was doing for his mom's birthday. It was her and his father locked in an embrace. He thought she would like it. Deciding to give his tired eyes a break, he got up and looked around his dorm.

The place was filthy. When was the last time he cleaned it? He shrugged and walked into the kitchen. A few minutes in there and the only things he found was a mouldy loaf of bread, a half empty bottle of ketchup, and a pile of dirty dishes he should really get started on.

So he grabbed his keys and left to go get some food instead.

He wasn't really thinking, he was acting more on autopilot, as he drove to WacDonalds, parked, and went inside. He had been up all night painting and sketching. It wasn't unusual for him, though he felt he should really stop because mornings were hell on him.

He ordered breakfast, went to a booth, and ate mechanically. He stared across his table at the plastic booth, his eyes half shut and his appearance ragged. He was sure he looked like death warmed over but he really didn't care.

It wasn't until he finished his hashbrown and was starting on his sausage sandwhich that he realized-

"Shit! I forgot!" He abandoned his food and dashed out the door.

He drove as fast as legal to the beach but it was too late. The sun was already long past up and Kagome was already long past gone.

He groaned and leaned against his truck. Well, he hadn't really expected her to stay. She did have work, after all. But still, it would have been nice to see her.

"There you are."

He turned and saw her walking up the beach towards him. She was wearing the nightgown he had picked and her bare feet were leaving footsteps in the sand that were almost immediately erased by the waves coming in and out.

"What are you still doing here?" he growled. "Don't you have to be at work?"

She smiled at the roughness in his voice. "No. I'm off today."

"That doesn't answer my other question." he pointed out.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

He blinked at her.

She smiled and, when he said nothing for another moment, she said, "Want to go get some breakfast?"

"Uh..." he paused thinking about his food that he hadn't finished eating. "Okay."

"I'll just go get changed real quick." she smiled.

A few minutes later, they pulled up at Rin's and went inside.

"So, you work here?" he asked looking at the cutsie tea shop.

"Uh-huh." Kagome nodded. "Come on in. We have the best cinnamon rolls."

He shrugged and followed her.

While she went and got them some tea and rolls, he chose one of the tiny tables and sat down.

It was a lovely place and not nearly as quiet as one would imagine a tea shop to be. The waiters and waitresses were laughing with their customers, the customers were joking and gossiping together. It was actually a very homey place.

"Here you go." Kagome came back and set some tea and the cinnamon rolls down. "Fresh from the oven."

"You're not getting a tip." Inuyasha said as he grabbed the giant roll and took a bite. It was warm and gooey with just enough icing to make it sweet.

"Hey, Kagome." their own waitress showed. She was a dark haired brunette that Inuyasha ignored in favor of his food. He was quite hungry.

"Hey, Sango." Kagome smiled at her friend and took a sip of tea. "This is Inuyasha."

"Oh." Sango looked at him, really looked. "So you're him."

"Guilty." he mumbled as he finished his roll and started licking his fingers clean. It was a really good roll.

"You want another?" Sango asked as he eyed Kagome's.

Kagome laughed and pushed it toward him. He descended on it like a pack of hungry wolves. "Get us two-"

"4."

"4 more." Kagome laughed as Inuyasha scarfed hers down. "When was the last time you ate?" she asked him as Sango walked off.

"Can't remember." he said honestly as he paused long enough to take a gulp of tea. He could swear he hadn't been this hungry earlier but the second that bun touched his tongue he was ravenous.

She shook her head as Sango came back with their rolls. "Want some more tea?" she asked.

"Yeah." Kagome nodded. "Jasmine, will be fine."

"Coming right up." she left them again.

"You look awful." Kagome said studying him. His clothes were wrinkled and had the rumpled look of someone who hadn't changed out of them for a while. His eyes had bags underneath them and he was slightly pale, though the warmth of the tea seemed to be bringing back some color.

"Didn't sleep." he said as he started attacking his third roll. "Painting."

"Is that healthy?" she asked in concern but he didn't answer.

He didn't speak again until he finished his fourth roll and half of the last one.

Then he sat back and looked around as if he was just now fully realizing where he was. "How did I get here?" he asked in confusion."

"I drove us." Kagome laughed. "You don't remember?"

"No." he looked around. The last thing he really remembered was sitting in his room. "Did we already sketch this morning?"

"You forgot." she said finishing the last of her tea.

"Damn." he cursed himself. He should have set an alarm clock or something. He should probably _get_ an alarm clock first."Why are we here?"

"You wanted breakfast." she said helpfully.

"Yeah, that sounds like me." he sat back in his chair.

"Do you forget doing things often?"

"Only when I'm really hungry." he stretched and yawned. "I'm tired. I think I'll go home."

"Wait." Kagome tried to stop him but he had already stood up and was leaving. Grumbling, she took some money out of her pocket, threw it on the table, and ran out after him.

"You can't drive." she pointed out. "You're car isn't here and besides, you're wobbling on your feet."

"Tired." he said as his eyes got heavy. Those cinnamon buns had really hit the spot.

"Well, hold on. I'll take you back to your place." she said as she unlocked her car.

No sooner had he gotten inside than he was falling asleep in the seat.

Kagome shook her head, buckled his seat belt for him, and got into her side. She started the car and pulled out all without him moving an inch. His breathing was deep and even and she knew he had really fallen asleep.

"When was the last time you slept?" she asked but she really didn't expect an answer.


	7. A Warning

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Warning**

Inuyasha yawned and stretched. His back arched off his bed as he-

Wait.

This wasn't his bed. It was far too soft and-was that a teddy bear?

He sat up and looked around in confusion.

The floor was clear of debris, there was a vanity in one corner covered in all manner of girlie stuff, and a dresser opposite the bed. No clothes were spilling out of it, the bed looked decent, and there was an actual hamper in one corner.

The sun wasn't up, he could see the night sky through the window because her sheer curtains were drawn. He got up and, without turning on the light, walked over to the vanity. In a distant part of his brain, he noticed his shoes had been removed.

The vanity was the messiest thing in the room. There was an open jewelry box with half its contents spilled over the smooth surface. Sprinkled among the jewels, both real and fake, was make up. Lipsticks, blushes, lots of eyeshadow. There was only one perfume bottle and it hadn't been used very often. The mirror was clean except for a single lipstick smear that looked to be a hastily written phone number and a photo. He reached forward and pulled it out of the frame.

It wasn't until he saw Kagome's face smiling up at him that he remembered. He had eaten then fallen asleep in her car. So that meant...

He put the picture down before walking to the door.

It opened without a sound and he stuck his head out into the hall.

The hall light was off but he could see a light at the end and he heard the sound of a popular comedian.

Then he heard Kagome's laugh as he walked into the living room.

"Oh, you're up."

He looked over to the kitchen as a delicious scent hit his nose and his stomach growled in response.

"I'm making ramen." she said as she stirred the boiling water. "Do you want some."

"Hungry." he said simply as he watched her. She was wearing a faded gray t-shirt and a pair of light blue shorts and nothing on her feet. So why was it so sexy?

"It will be a minute." she turned to him. "Why don't you go take a shower while I finish up? Bathroom is on the right. Towels are in the cabinet."

Still hungry so he wasn't at complete mental readiness, he followed her orders.

Kagome shook her head as he turned and disapeared back down the hall. He had still looked half asleep despite sleeping all day.

After a moment, she heard the shower start and she started another pot to boiling for him. Remembering how much he ate, she decided to make him more than her.

Her food finished first and she was putting it in a bowl by the time she heard the water cut off.

She took a bite of noodles and chewed happily.

Then nearly choked as Inuyasha came back around the corner, only a towel around his waist.

She coughed as he looked around, still a little dazed. Of course, he had no clothes but his dirty ones.

"Food's almost done." she said blushing.

"No clothes." he said as he took a deep breath.

"I noticed." she said as she turned back to the stove.

He stood there and watched her as she finished his food. It made her feel really self-conscious. Which was stupid, she told herself fiercely as her blush refused to fade. He stared at her all the time. It was the fundamental thing about their relationship!

But it was different this time. He wasn't looking at her like an artist. He was looking at her like a man. A slightly wild man who took what he wanted and didn't care about anything else. And why in the name of kami was that exciting her?

"Here." she passed him the much larger bowl of ramen.

He took it without comment and began eating with his eyes still glued to her figure.

They ate in silence, both still standing, neither saying a word.

He finished first. He drank the last of his soup then placed the bowl on the counter, all without taking his eyes off her. That stare made her feel naked despite being fully clothed. It wasn't like he was undressing her with his eyes. No, it was more like he could see right past her clothes to her body underneath.

She ate slowly, delaying something but she wasn't sure what. He just stood there and stared at her.

He didn't move again until she turned to put her bowl in the sink and rinse it out.

Then suddenly, his arms were around her waist and he was pulling her against his still wet body.

"Inuyasha." she said breathlessly as he began sucking on her neck.

"Hungry." he said simply as his hand went under her shirt and caressed her stomach.

Kagome leaned her head back against his shoulder and opened her mouth in a silent moan as his hand traveled further up her body and his other one pulled her still closer to him.

"Tastes good." he trailed his tongue up her neck as he turned her head. His lips met hers just as his hand cupped her breast and she was sure she had bust into flames.

Without warning, he turned her around in his arms, pushed her back against the counter, and began ravishing her mouth.

Kagome moaned helplessly. She couldn't stop him, she didn't really want to.

He picked her up and sat her down on the counter before moving between her legs. All without ever releasing her mouth.

"More." he growled as he wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Inuyasha." she moaned aloud as he kissed his way down her neck and his hands began lifting her shirt above her head.

"Kagome, I'm-Woh!"

Inuyasha leaned back, his eyes glinting with anger as the brunette from the tea shop walked in.

"Were you busy?" she asked as Kagome turned scarlet and hid her face in her hands.

"Yes. Go away." Inuyasha grumbled but Sango came in anyway as she stowed her key away in her pocket.

"I live here. You don't." she pointed out. "And why are you naked? Kagome?"

"I'm sorry." she looked up sheepishly. "He took a shower and he had no clothes."

"So you start macking on each other?" Sango rolled her eyes. "Well, this is me saving you from temptation."

Kagome jumped off the counter as Inuyasha backed up.

"I'll go...wash your clothes" Kagome hurried out of the room.

"Thanks a lot." Inuyasha grumbled.

Sango smirked. "Let's clear the air here. I don't like you."

"I can't say you're my favorite person either." he said back.

"You're forcing Kagome to get less sleep while she juggles a job and school." Sango glared at him. She had laughed when she first heard but that was before she noticed the strain it was putting on her best friend. "Not cool man."

"She punched my model." he pointed out. "And I saved her from having charges pressed against her."

"So she has to suffer?" Sango scoffed. "Look, artsy-boy. Finish your painting, then get out of her life."


	8. A Sketch

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Sketch**

"Oh, Sango,what will I do?" Kagome moaned pitifully as she slumped at the table they sat at in the mall food court.

"What do you mean?" her friend asked as she took a sip of her soda.

"Inuyasha." Kagome said immediately. "If you hadn't walked in...I don't know what would have happened!"

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea." Sango smirked.

"I'm serious!" Kagome pouted. "If you hadn't shown up we would have...have..."

"Bumped uglies?"

"Sango!"

She laughed. "Sorry. It's just all fairly ridiculous."

"It's fairly serious." Kagome sighed. "We'd have...done_ that_ had you not come over."

"You're in college and you can't say se-"

"Sango!" Kagome cut her off with a glare.

"Okay, I'm sorry." she said seriously. "Why didn't you just say no?"

"My attention was kind of preoccupied." Kagome admitted.

"Alright. Just, don't end up alone with him." she smiled. "How about I start chaperoning your little posing sessions."

"I don't think he'd like that." Kagome pointed out.

Sango snorted. "Why should I care what he likes?"

"Sango, please! Get helpful." Kagome sighed and slumped in her chair.

It wasn't like she hadn't enjoyed it at the time, because she did. Just the thought of the memory of it sent shivers down her spine. But she had had time to think since then! Getting...intimate with Inuyasha would be very bad! She was sure he and Kikyo had a thing going on. He was half stupid when it happened from sleep deprivation and hunger. He probably wouldn't even remember it!

That thought sadened her considerably.

"Maybe it's like Stockholm Syndrome." Sango said thoughtfully as she put her chin in her hands and looked at Kagome.

"I said be serious." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"No. Think about it." she continued warming to this topic. "If you don't cooperate he'll press charges kind of making you captive to him."

"Not even close." Kagome grumbled. "Stay out of the phsycology department."

Sango shrugged. "I put my vote down as Stockholm Syndrome."

Kagome shook her head. "You're no help at all. I think I'll talk to Old Lady G about it."

"Old G?" Sango blinked. "I thought you only dealt with her for the tip."

"She's actually really good at advice." Kagome said as she checked the urge to stick out her tongue. "Besides, I'm not that shallow."

"I am." Sango said making her laugh. "There, you see? You're cheered up already."

Kagome shook her head but her smile never dropped. "I still have a problem."

"Not really." Sango shook her head. "He's not mentioning it, right?"

"He didn't this morning." Kagome shrugged.

"Then don't bring it up." Sango shrugged. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

* * *

Her eyes were more almond shaped, with a definite contrast between her skin and the darkness of her eyes. And her face, it wasn't so severe. More...soft with a smile tucked into the corner of her lips.

"Wow."

Inuyasha blinked and looked up.

His professor had been walking around but Inuyasha hadn't noticed. He had been too preoccupied. He didn't even remember what he was supposed to be doing until he professor spoke up.

"This isn't for the exhibition." he said as he looked at the sketch Inuyasha had been doing.

It was Kagome, but mostly her face and shoulders. Her head was turned slightly, showing her profile from the side as she looked over her shoulder at him. Her lips were parted just slightly and her eyes were round because she was looking up. But the power in that one sketch was overwhelming. Especially considering it wasn't finished yet.

"Your new model." the professor said. "Quite the picture she makes."

"I think she's my new muse." Inuyasha confessed as he looked over his work area. Before it had been cluttered up with charcoal and sandpaper and crumpled failures and incomplete pictures. Kikyo's face had been everywhere. Photographs of her, sketches of her, half finished sketches of her. It was all still there, but now it was buried under sketches of Kagome. None of them were finished though.

Halfway through each sketch he got frustraited and threw it to the side. Kagome, physically, wasn't hard to draw. After all, she looked nearly identicle to Kikyo and he had drawn her for years. But there was something missing in each sketch, some element that danced just out of his grasp. None of the sketches were working for him because they all lacked something. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

"All these," the professor indicated to the half finished drawing, "they're all her?"

"I can't get her right." he confessed. "And it's driving me mad."

"Maybe you should observe her more."

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked up at him. "What do you mean, I draw her twice a day."

"I don't mean when she's posing." his professor smiled at the pupil who still had much to learn. Years ago, he had had his fingers broken in a car accident. The tendons had been ripped by flying glass. He would never hold a brush again but he could still pass on what he knew to his students. "Go to her work, watch how she moves. Often, it's the movement that shows what holding still can't."

"Really?" Inuyasha took the sketch back and looked it over. Just like all the others, it was missing something and he just didn't know what.

"I'm not the art teacher for nothing." he laughed. "Sometimes, it's in movement that we see what stillness hides. She's quite lovely and you're an amazing artist. If we can just make you two click."

Inuyasha smirked. Oh, they clicked more than he knew.

Despite Kagome's prayers/fears, he hadn't forget a thing about that night at her house. Not her smell or her taste or that her bed had a stuffed bear on it. A cute little brown one with a red bow around its neck. Somehow, it seemed so..._her._

The problem was, now she was nervous around him. She had tried to hide it this morning, but he could see the tension in her body and the frown line that just shadowed her forehead. She had withdrawn from him and that was okay. He could wait.

He also remembered Sango's threat, or warning depending on how he looked at it. Of course it had the opposite of the desired effect. Now he just wanted her even more.

But he was patient, he had to be. Art wasn't formed over night. It took countless tries and mistakes. So he was perfectly willing to wait for her. Because he knew with a certainty that surprised him that one way or another Kagome was going to end up in his arms.

She was nervouse, that was good. Those nerves meant she felt something, that she was unsure of herself and her feelings.

Inuyasha smirked as he gazed at the sketch in his hands. Oh, yes. She was unsure now, but he could change that.


	9. A Shift

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Shift**

Kagome was shocked when he stepped in. He looked...hot. His jeans were snug but the white shirt he had on was lose creating an interesting contrast. Under his arm was his sketchpad and pencil case.

"What's _he_doing here?" Sango grumbled unhappily as his eyes scanned the room.

"I don't know." Kagome blinked at him, the empty cup she was supposed to bring to the dishwasher in her hands forgotten. "Why does he have his supplies?"

"I've got bad feeling in my gut." Sango said unhappily just as Inuyasha's eyes locked on hers and he started walking across the room to her.

Kagome's heart was going so fast, as if it wanted to just beat itself out of her chest. It wasn't helping that the look in his eyes was one of...

Don't think about it! She told herself fiercely as he stopped in front of her.

"What tables are you serving?" he asked without hesitation.

"Uh...Those five." Kagome pointed to the ones closest to the door.

"Okay." he nodded and walked away without another word. But he didn't sit at one of her tables. He sat in one of the tables farthest from the door in Eri's section. He sat sideways in his chair with his back against the wall and opened his pencil case.

Kagome stood, dumbfounded, and watched as he looked at the charcoal pencils, carefully appraising them before selecting one. Then he opened his notepad to a clean sheet of paper, put the pencil in his hands, then looked up at her.

She knew that look too. It was the look he gave her when he drew her.

"Why is he doing that now?" Kagome asked as Eri went to take his order.

"Stalker." Sango accused bitterly. "Doesn't he have anything better to do."

Kagome sighed. "Well, he's not in my section. Best to just ignore him." she nodded to herself, glad now that she had a plan, and went to give the cup to the dishwasher.

Despite that resolution, she couldn't help but look up and check to see if he was there every time she came out of the kitchens or finished taking/giving and order. He never moved. He did eat a couple cinnamon buns, which made her blush looking at them, and drank a few cups of tea. But other than that he just sat there and sketched.

"Well, look at you." Old Lady G smiled when Kagome brought out her usual tea. She hadn't even taken her order yet because Old Lady G ordered the same thing every day. "Why are you so wound up?"

Kagome set the tea down and tried not to look over to where he sat.

"That wouldn't happen to be due to the fact that that boy over there is staring at you?" she guessed and chuckled when Kagome flinched.

"He's not staring, he's drawing." Kagome said hoping somehow that would make it sound better. It didn't.

"Oh? Then that must be the Inuyasha I've heard so much about." Old Lady G laughed.

"Yes, ma'am." Kagome blushed. She wasn't sure how, but instead of hearing every detail of Old Lady G's life, now she only ever talked about hers. Old Lady G didn't seem to mind. In fact, she asked the questions.

"He is handsome." Old Lady G smiled. "If I were younger..." she trailed off and sighed. "Oh, well. I'm not am I?"

"You're still pretty young." Kagome said automatically. Despite being only 50 something, Old Lady G looked much older. She was so skinny she looked unhealthy and her skin was pale. She was covered in wrinkles and the hair upon her head was snow white. And, for some odd reason, she shaved her eyebrows and penciled in some dark brown ones.

"I'm not that young, dear." she laughed. "Anyway, back to your man."

"He's not mine!" Kagome said defensively. "We just..." Made out like two horny teenagers? Yeah, that was an appropriate thing to say to an old lady in a tea shop.

"Don't fret." Old Lady G took a sip of tea. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Kagome blushed hotly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Inuyasha scribbling furiously.

"So, what's new in that department?"

"Well..." Kagome hesitated. How, exactly, did she explain what happened?

In the back of the shop, Inuyasha's hand was blazing across the page. His professor was right. Inuyasha could admit, he usually was. There was a special type of beauty about this plain, old, normal Kagome. Her make up wasn't done, some of her hair had escaped its ponytail, and she wasn't dressed up.

But she moved like a slow flowing river. Graceful and elegant. Then she would trip over her feet, stumble a little, and catch herself. Then her face would turn red a little as she laughed it off with whichever customer happened to see her. She wrote down orders with her tongue between her teeth. And as she conversed with customers her weight would shift from one leg to another time to time so one hip then the other would stick out to the side. She laughed and her eyes crinkled, she smiled and her teeth flashed.

And on his paper, she was coming to life.

Yet every time he came close to finishing a sketch, he would notice that that elusive something was still missing. The drawings felt more complete but always that spark, that sparkled, that life that he wanted was just out of reach.

It was driving him mad!

"Oh, my." Old Lady G laughed when Kagome finished. She was flushed hotly again. "That is interesting. I don't think ignoring the problem will help this time, dear."

"What?" Kagome cried in dismay. "But I've been basing all my decisions on the ignore it plan."

"Well, sometimes not saying anything is the best choice." Old Lady G admitted. "And sometimes saying nothing is the wrong choice. I think this time you need to talk it out."

Kagome groaned. "I kind of hoped you weren't going to say that."

She smiled. "Sorry, but that's how it is. Now, how about you bring me a slice of that delicious red velvet cake, hm?"

Kagome nodded.

He stayed there all shift. Drawing and staring in turn. She didn't say a word to him and he never spoke to her.

And when she left and was pulling out of the parking lot, she saw him enter his car.

"How much does he need to draw anyway?" she asked unhappily as she sped away before he could catch up to her. She didn't want to look at him right now, not even on accident. Which made no sense as she had just spent all shift looking at him and looking away again.


	10. A Choice

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

Now for Kikyo's long awaited reappearance!

**A Choice**

Kikyo looked like a spoiled child, that's the only way Inuyasha could describe her. Which was sad all things considering because he was very good at descriptions.

She was at home sitting up in her bed watching some drama or another on TV -well, actually the TV was turned on to some drama or another and it was muted- with a half empty smoothie sitting on her bedside table. She had on one of her flimsy nightgowns that she bought at Victoria's Secret but any sexiness it might have held was ruined by the large bruise dominating most of her face.

Her eyes were black and the actual eyeballs were bloodshot. Her nose had been repositioned as best as they could but it was still crooked.

The spoiled child look was created by the fact that she had pillows surrounding her on three sides, propping her up against her padded headboard. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring up at him as best she could with a black and blue face.

"So, I guess you're not okay?" Inuyasha asked with a raised eyebrow when she refused to answer the question he had asked when he first entered. He had an itch on his nose but he really didn't want to scratch it, it might set her off.

"Of course not." she said her voice sounding funny. "Not only is my face ruined but you start drawing the girl who ruined it? Traitor!"

"She looks just like you." he said shrugging. Well, that was only half true but he had given up trying to go into the details of art with Kikyo a long time ago.

"I know." Kikyo resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It hurt when she did that. "Why do you think we were arguing."

"I don't need the details." Inuyasha told her as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He wanted to sit but Kikyo kept no chairs in her room and she wouldn't let him sit on her bed. "I saw it on youtube." He wished Kagome had been facing the camera and that the cell had a better resolution. It would have been nice to see what she looked like angry.

Kikyo sighed. "I know. It seems like everyone has."

"Just the university." Inuyasha said helpfully.

Kikyo tried not to groan as that hurt too. "So how are my paintings coming?" She changed the subject. She hoped he would say not so well with an inferior subject.

"Not to well." he admitted not mentioning that they were _his _paintings and Kikyo gave an internal cheer. "Kagome's...difficult to draw." He had tried working on Sunrise around lunch time based off the sketches he had but something just wasn't coming out right that same..._thing_ was missing. The sooner he found it the happier he would be.

"Not as good as me." Kikyo concluded with a nod. Inuyasha didn't bother to correct her. "The biggest exhibition of my career so far and I'm not even the model."

Inuyasha blinked. He had wanted to go draw Kagome at the cafe again but had felt obliged to visit Kikyo. Now that he was here he wondered why. She only ever gave him a headache. Her complete conviction that the paintings of her were hers made him angry. Especially when she called them hers in conversations.

"I'm actually thinking of scraping the Sunrise and Sunset paintings and starting over." he admitted. The only problem with that plan was that starting over would mean he would have to rush to finish the painting. And of course every day he thought it over was a day he could use if he did decide to use it. He only had 2 months until the exhibition. He had to decide soon.

"What?" Kikyo growled then yelped in pain. "What do you mean?" she glared at him, using a quieter voice now. "Those paintings were incredible."

"Yeah but they don't work well with Kagome." he shrugged and he saw the fire erupt in her eyes.

"They're not her paintings! They're mine!" she hissed. "It doesn't matter what works well for _her_!"

"They're my paintings." he reminded her for the thousandth time. "And yes, it does matter. I can't make an inferior painting. Not for the exhibition."

"Inferior..." Kikyo repeated calmly.

Inuyasha groaned and braced himself.

* * *

Kagome laughed delightfully as the ocean tickled her exposed ankles. It was so nice to stand next to the water and not be stared at.

Sango was having a splash war with Miroku in the water as Kagome let her toes sink into the wet sand at the shore. The beaches had finally opened and all around her was the sound of children playing and laughing and of parents cautioning them not to swim out too far. The smell of sunblock filled the air, that special sweet scent that reminded her of sunshine.

"Kagome!" Miroku cried as Sango overwhelmed him. "Help!"

"I side with the winner." Kagome called back.

"Mean!" he cried as he sunk down into the water.

"Coward." Sango laughed as she paused. She readied herself for when he would rise back up.

Instead, she shrieked in surprise. A shriek that was cut short when Miroku grabbed her ankles and yanked her under.

Kagome laughed when they both broke the surface with a gasp.

"Victory!" Miroku yelled.

"Gorilla tactics." Sango corrected.

Kagome sat down and let the waves crash into her as she watched her friends and let the sunshine soak into her skin.

Miroku swam over to her before Sango could restart the war to claim her victory back and sat next to her. "So, how are your paintings going?"

Kagome groaned as Sango swam over as well. She laid down in the water to she had to look up at her friends. "Their not mine, their Inuyasha's. And why must everyone bring that up?"

"'Cause it's hilarious." Sango smiled as ducked as Kagome through a fistful of sand at her.

"I think he's getting frustrated." Kagome admitted. "He looks angrier and angrier every time he draws me."

"Maybe he'll give up soon." Sango said hopefully.

"Not likely." Kagome said tilting her head as she remembered his face this morning. "He's getting angry but also...determined. Like he's going to finish no matter what."

"What's he so angry about?" Miroku asked as Sango washed the sand off her shoulder and back.

"Who knows?" Kagome shrugged.

* * *

Inuyasha slammed the door shut just in time to hear the TV remote crack into the wood.

He sighed and walked away.

Funny enough, Kikyo's threats and demands that he finish Sunrise and Sunset cemented his decision.

He was going to put the other two away, maybe finish them later, but he was sure now. He was going to start over, make a brand new painting for the exhibition. The only problem was:

What should he do it over?


	11. A Class

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

Ask and you shall receive!

Dedicated to the poor folks in Japan. May our prayers be with them...

**A Class**

Kagome jumped and blinked groggily around her room. The shrill ring of her cell was in her ear.

"Who the hell-" she grumbled darkly as her hand reached out blindly for the offending object. Her hands finally found it and she had to fight the charger cord for a minute before she was able to hit talk.

"What?" she asked rudely when she got it to her ear.

"Don't meet me at the beach this morning." Inuyasha said and, damn him, he sounded wide awake.

"What time is it?" she asked noticing it was still dark out her window.

"3 AM." he said immediately. "Anyway, forget the beach."

"Why, did you finish?" Kagome asked suddenly wide awake as her stomach dropped. She really didn't want to stop seeing him.

"No." he said. "I have other plans."

"Other...What? Inuyasha?" it was too late. He had hung up.

"Ugh!" Kagome dropped face first into her pillow. Damn temperamental artist.

* * *

"Awesome." Sango grinned at breakfast the next morning. Her and Kagome shared an apartment so she was confused as to why Kagome was still there when she woke up. "This is great!"

"Yeah." Kagome said unhappily as she poked her scrambled eggs.

Was that really it? No more Inuyasha at all? She really didn't want that to be all. She hadn't even talked to him about the kiss.

"I'm going ahead to class." Kagome said abandoning her attempts at eating and leaving.

"Kagome?" Sango asked but her friend was already gone.

Kagome sighed as she got into her car and drove off.

Damn him. Kissing her crazy one minute then leaving her the next. He was driving her up the wall in circles. If his face wasn't so damn sexy she would punch it and break his nose too.

She sighed and turned on her radio hoping that the sound of music would distract her. It might as well have been white noise for all the good it did though.

By the time she had pulled into the parking lot at the school, she had already promised herself that the next time she saw him she would punch him in the gut so nothing would happen to the face she was so fond of. She grabbed her books, slammed the door and stomped away swearing divine vengeance.

However, on her walk up to the school building, she got a surprise.

"Inuyasha?" she blinked at him.

He had been leaning against the brick wall, scanning the faces of those that past, as if he was waiting for something. Then his eyes caught hers and she knew it had been _her_ he had been waiting for.

"What are you doing here?" she asked her anger already dissipated.

"Waiting." he smirked then he lifted his hand and she noticed his drawing pad in his hand. "I got special permission to follow you to your classes and draw you."

"I thought you said you were done." she turned her head in confusion as a bubble of happiness formed in her stomach. This wasn't good-bye?

"I said I had other plans." he reminded her. "I want to draw you now. Not a pose, just you."

Kagome couldn't speak. He was staring at her now, not like an artist, but as a man.

"Um...I need to talk to you." she said at last after taking a deep breath.

"Go out with me." he said suddenly and smirked when her mouth dropped slightly. "I realize that kissing you like that then leaving you wondering was wrong."

"I wasn't wondering." Kagome mumbled as she blushed and averted her eyes.

He walked close to her so that he was standing so near she could feel the heat coming off of his chest. "You were." he said simply and she flinched when his hand began stroking her cheek and turning her face to face him. "Sorry, that was rude. How about an official date to make up for it?"

"Random." Kagome mumbled as she backed up a step. "Where did this come from?"

He didn't let her get far as his arm went around her waist and pulled her right back and because her hands were holding her books, she couldn't resist him. Not that she really wanted to but it was the principle of the thing.

"It's been coming on for a while." he grinned and he leaned down so that she felt his hot breath on her cheek. Her mouth opened slightly in anticipation of his kiss.

But it never came.

"You'll be late for class." he smirked then backed off without warning so that Kagome had to catch herself. He grinned and walked away leaving Kagome mumbling darkly under her breath.

* * *

He was staring.

And because he was staring, everyone else was staring.

Kagome was trying to write her notes, honestly she was! She was used to him staring, kind of, so that didn't bother her. It was the looks she got from everyone else in class because he was sitting in a corner sketching furiously that bothered her.

She knew they were whispering, wondering what was going on, though the teacher seemed oblivious. He kept droning on and on about the feudal era, which was her favorite topic, but she couldn't pay attention! Every time she tried to write down a point or a note the words 'stop staring' ended up on the paper. Which meant she had to erase it and try again and by that time she had missed the next note to take.

"Isn't that Inuyasha from the art department?" the guy behind her whispered.

"Yeah." his friend answered and Kagome tried harder to focus but it wasn't working. "He's really good, I've seen his stuff around campus. But what's he doing here."

She felt their stares on the back of her neck as her face heated up.

Notes, notes, notes! She thought desperately as she scribbled down some words that even she couldn't read.

In his corner, Inuyasha began drawing faster.

He's enjoying this! She glared at him wanting to shove that damned charcoal pencil up his nose.

He blinked at her for a minute, then turned to a new page and began drawing anew.

Snap!

She blinked in shock as she looked down and realized she had squeezed so hard she had snapped her pencil in half.

She heard a few people giggling quietly as the teacher kept on speaking and Inuyasha kept on drawing.

* * *

"That wasn't so bad." he cought up to her after class.

"I don't like you anymore." Kagome said darkly as she marched to her car, determined to get away from him.

"No, really." he said trying to catch her eyes but she was staring determinedly ahead. "I got a lot done."

"Good. Finish your picture and go away." she cluched her books harder to her chest.

Inuyasha chuckled. "You sound like Sango."

"Sango?" Kagome looked at him in surprise.

"She told me the same thing." he said smiling in victory as she slowed down slightly.

Kagome growled. "I'll deal with her later. Deal with you now. Go away! You're causing trouble."

"What about our date?" he asked.

"Never!" Kagome blushed again giving away her true thoughts.

He smirked. "See you at 7?"

"Not going to happen!"

"Dinner and a movie?"

"Forget it!"

"I'll see you then."

"You will not!"


	12. A Date?

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A...date?**

It was exactly 6:54 and Kagome was ready.

She beamed at herself in the mirror and declared herself perfect.

Her hair was a tangly mess because she had slept on it wet, refused to brush it, and didn't put in any conditioner. Her face, unfortunately, wasn't the kind that needed make-up so it still looked alright. However, her raggedy old robe, red and yellow stained white tank top, and flannel PJ pants from middle school that were high-waters and had multiple holes in them, were not. Especially not for a date.

"Bring him on." Kagome twirled once for affect. "This will ruin that date of his."

She was humming when she walked into the living room and turned on the TV. Sango was working the late shift tonight so it was just herself and her thoughts.

No sooner had she sat down did the doorbell ring.

Grinning in anticipation of his let down face, she practically skipped to the door and opened it.

Her jaw dropped.

He was wearing his most stained pair of jeans, a pair of shoes that should have been thrown away ages ago, and a white shirt with red and yellow stains, just like hers.

"Hey, we match." Inuyasha smirked as he pointed at her shirt.

Kagome growled because in his hands were a few DVD's and take out Chinease food.

"I guess 'forget it' wasn't subtle enough?" she asked unhappily.

"I was reading between the lines." Inuyasha laughed as he walked in as if he owned the place.

"Read between these lines." Kagome said holding up her first three fingers together.

"Aren't you a little old for that?" Inuyasha set the food down and began spreading it out on the counter. "I didn't know what you liked so I got a bit of everything."

Kagome grumbled but the smell of the food was making her stomach rumble. So she grabbed one and stormed off to the couch.

"Don't tell me you're still mad?" Inuyasha laughed as he sat next to her, broccoli chicken in his hands.

"Fine, I won't tell you." Kagome said opening hers up and discovering fried rice. She frowned at it because she had been hoping for some kind of meat.

Inuyasha silently offered her the broccoli chicken.

She took it and started eating without a thank you. He just smiled and took her rice.

"Should I kiss you again?"

"No!" she glared. That would definitely not help her because she would probably forget why she was mad in the first place.

He seemed to have noticed that himself because he started getting closer to her.

Kagome glared, her pride refusing to let her back away so he ended up so close her eyes had to cross to keep his in her sights.

He smirked and backed away again and she released a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.

"Don't worry." he picked up a chunk of rice with his chopsticks. "When I kiss you again, you're going to want it."

Kagome glared but didn't say anything because she was afraid he was right.

He watched TV with her and, to her great dismay, she even found herself laughing with him at the comic on stage.

"Are you still mad?" he asked when her frame had relaxed. He had known, just because he knew her attitude, what she would have tried to do this evening. Of course, if she had gotten ready he would have been screwed. But he was sure she would be defiant and he was right. However, he was surprised at how cute he found her in her old pajamas and tattered robe.

Her feet were up on the coffee table and crossed at the ankles. Another surprise, her toenails were a very pretty pink. He hadn't expected that but, now that he saw it, he realized it fit her perfectly. He had a sudden urge to sketch her just as she was but since that was what she was mad about in the first place he decided not to push it.

"Yes." she said but there wasn't as much heat behind her words as before.

"Come on, babe." he smiled crookedly. "I love drawing you, you're just too interesting not to draw."

"Flattery will get you no where." she said but she was fighting a smile.

"I can't say I'm sorry because I'm not." he continued, pressing his advantage. "You're just so beautiful." He pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ears but she still didn't look at him. "Can you blame me for that?"

"Okay, flattery _is_ working." she said as the smiled she couldn't resist pulled at her lips.

He smirked as she turned to him at last, the smile already in her eyes and his fingers itched to grab a pencil.

"Shall I tell you what I see when I look at you?" he asked as he trailed his finger down her cheek, tracing the shape of it.

"It couldn't hurt." she laughed in embarrassment.

He grinned and she recognized that artist look in his eyes but this time it was coupled with his desire for her. It was a dizzying combination.

"I see hair like a waterfall." he grabbed a strand of hair and rubbed it gently between his fingers. "Flowing down your back with such elegance. I see chocolate eyes mixed with stars." His finger traced her eyebrow. "Almond shaped, big and beautiful and vibrant."

His finger went down her cheek again. "I see a heart shaped face with a delicately pointed chin and high cheekbones. I see roses in your blush and the sun in your smile."

Why was her breathing getting harsher she thought as his finger just barely touched the corner of her lip.

"I see full lips that get just a little pouty when you frown. I see pearly teeth and a tongue that you bite when your concentrating."

She was sure he was going to kiss her then, but he didn't. Instead his finger trailed down her neck and onto her shoulder.

"I see a full set of hips and a perfect waist. I see attitude when you walk and delight when you dance. I see skin like ivory, smooth and flawless."

He leaned in closer as his finger trailed down her arm and onto her waist where his whole hand pulled her to him.

"I see strength and sensuality." he continued as he got ever closer to her. "I see power and control."

Kagome's hands found his shoulders and felt his breath hot on her face.

"But what I don't see is even more important." he confessed. "Well, to be honest. I see it, but I can't grasp it. I sense it but can't put it down. What is it about you that makes you so stunning? So irresistible?"

"Okay, I don't think I'm mad anymore." Kagome confessed breathlessly.

"Good." he smirked. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Huh?"

Kagome blinked in shock when he stood up abruptly and left without another word.


	13. A Farewell

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

So, I lost my internet for a bit there, but that's okay cause it's back. And while it was off, I continued writing chapters. Mostly for this story because I want to finish it up and move on. :) So here's you're next chapter!

**A Farewell**

"My, my, my. Look who's back." Old Lady G smiled as Kagome walked up to her table. However, she wasn't looking at her.

She was looking at Inuyasha who was sitting at the same table as last time, sketching her again. He had come in right as Kagome did, how he seemed to know Kagome's schedule was a mystery to her, and went right to the table. Eri said she didn't mind because, despite ordering very little, besides the ever embarrassing cinnamon buns, he tipped pretty good. Not as Good as Old Lady G. But then, no one tipped as good as Old Lady G.

Kagome set her usual order down and looked at her happily.

"Yeah." she smiled.

"And look at that smile." Old Lady G smiled back at her. Was it Kagome's imagination, or was she looking increasingly thin lately? "I take that to mean you talked it out?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kagome nodded. "Sort of."

"Is that a good 'sort of'?" she asked.

Kagome shrugged but smiled. "Good. I think we're together."

"You_ think_?" Old Lady G laughed. "Well, what does he think?"

Kagome looked over at him. He was sketching but after a second, he looked up at her. He caught her eye and smirked.

She blushed and looked quickly back at Old Lady G.

Lady G laughed softly to herself. "So that's how it is."

"He's...different." Kagome said at last. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like him."

"Does he treat you good?" the elder woman asked, taking a sip of her tea. She didn't look like she was worried the answer would be negative. It sounded more like an old fashioned formality than anything. Almost like something Kagome's mother would ask. Actually, when Kagome thought of it, he was sure her mother would ask it when she found out.

Kagome nodded. "He's really romantic. Intense, actually."

Old Lady G nodded as if she expected that. "He looks intense. He certainly is about his art."

"Unbelievably." Kagome nodded. "He follows me everywhere. Not like a stalker or anything!" she said quickly. "He got permission. Wow, that makes it sound worse, doesn't it?"

Old Lady G laughed again. "I know what you mean. He's an artist and you're his muse."

For some odd reason, Kagome liked the way that sounded. She smiled at the warm feeling it ignited in her belly. "Yeah." she said dreamily. "He's incredible. You should hear the way he talks about me. It's...indescribable."

Lady G raised a penciled in eyebrow at the stars in Kagome's eyes. In his chair, Inuyasha scribbled furiously.

"He's got you bad, darling." she said sweetly making Kagome jump. "Don't deny it."

Kagome blushed. "I've never felt like this before." She admitted. "It's like...I'm drowning but I don't want to stop."

Old Lady G sighed and tilted her head back as if she were enjoying sun at the beach, "Ah. Young love. It's so nice to be in it's presense again."

"It's not love." Kagome said immediatly. "It's just..." She looked over at Inuyasha whose eyes were traveling slowly up her body. His eyes caught hers again and she felt herself blush. That stare wasn't the stare of the artist, it was the stare of the man.

'Stop' she mouthed seriously at him before turning back to Old Lady G who was giggling silently. She knew without looking that he was smirking again.

"What wonderful news." Old Lady G smiled at her. "And I was so hoping for some."

"Why?" Kagome asked as the elder lady pulled her wallet out of her purse. Did she have a bad day or something?

"I'm afraid I wont be coming anymore." she said sadly, sighing as she pulled some bulls out.

"Why?" Kagome asked quickly. She didn't want Old Lady G to leave. Despite her initial dislike of her, she had really come to like her. If she never came back Kagome would really miss her.

It wasn't the enormouse tip she would miss. She had come to geniunly enjoy Old Lady G's company. She was sweet and wise and an excellent listener. Besides, Rin's wouldn't be the same without her sitting at her usual table enjoying her usual order.

"Life is getting in the way of my free time." the lady shook her head as she stood up. "It's been a pleasure knowing you dear." She took Kagome's hands in hers and leaned forward. She kissed her cheek delicately, like the breeze created by a butterfly's wing beat. "I hope everything works out between you and your artist."

Without another word, Old Lady G turned.

Kagome watched with sadness as Lady G left. As she watched her go, she had a really odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling of dread and despair. It felt like, and Kagome couldn't say why, she would never see Old Lady G again.

She had the sudden urge to reach out to her. To stop her from leaving and keep her safe and happy in this tea shop forever. But it was a rediculous urge and, more than that, it was immature. Like a child reaching for it's blanket.

Kagome would see her again, on the streets or she might come back to the tea shop. Kagome was being silly. Silly and paranoid.

So she did nothing, she just watched the older woman leave. The woman whose name she didn't even know though she could tell you exactly what she did and didn't like to eat. The lady who tipped much too generously. The sweet girl who listened well, talked enthusiastically, and lived, a little bit, through Kagome.

She hobbled slightly as she walked, it was a strange thing for Kagome to notice. But notice it she did as Old Lady G walked away, without a backwards glance, and left the tea shop for the last time.


	14. A Night

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Night**

"So, she said 'good-bye' just like that?" Inuyasha asked after Kagome finished talking.

Kagome nodded sadly.

He was sitting on her couch watching TV with her. She was sitting sideways, her legs thrown over his.

"She was a sweet old lady." Kagome said sadly. "I mean, she wasn't that old but she looked old."

Inuyasha shrugged. "You never know. She might come back."

"I hope so." Kagome admitted. But she doubted it. That last 200000 yen tip really felt like a good-bye in her own, over-tipping way. "I'll miss her.

"Well, she does give good advice." he laughed as he started tracing circles on her leg with his finger.

"She does." Kagome laughed. "She's sweet."

Inuyasha, tired of the depressing conversation, grabbed Kagome by the hips and pulled her into his lap.

"So are you." he smirked as her hands went automatically to his shoulders to balance herself.

"Inuyasha." she said nervously. Then her face hardened. "You're not just teasing me again are you?"

He laughed. "I told you. When I kissed you again, you would want it."

"I do." she said immediately.

"Ask me." he smirked evily.

Kagome frowned.

"Ask me or I wont-Mpf!" he was cut off when she grabbed his face and kissed him, hard.

"Eager...are...you?" he laughed as she kissed him.

"Shut up." she ordered as she adjusted herself so she was straddling him.

He began chuckling and the vibrations in his chest tickled her right down to her belly.

Intense. It was a really good word for him. He kissed her like she was the last person he would ever kiss. He held her hips and pulled her close like he would never let go.

One hand slipped under her shirt, not in front, but in back. He traced the curves of her back and it was strangely more intimate than if he had shoved his hand up the front of her shirt.

Kagome sat above him physically, but she still felt as if he was controlling her, dominating her.

Wanting to touch more than just his lips, she reached down and felt around for the hem of his shirt.

"Watch what you grab, love." he laughed huskily as she groped around.

"I thought I said hush." she laughed when she found it.

He raised his arms and let her pull his shirt over his head. She didn't get a chance to admire his chest because no sooner was he free of its confines than his hands went back to her hips and his lips to her neck.

Kagome tilted her head back as she began tracing the curves of his back as he had done to her. She had no idea her neck would be so sensitive, she thought as pleasure zinged along her nerves like lightning.

"Come with me." she said grabbing his hand.

"Huh?" he leaned back, his eyes unfocused and full of desire.

She climbed off his lap and pulled him up after her. He let her lead him down the hall to her room.

* * *

Kagome was sure that even the beds in heaven weren't this comfortable. Then again, if the beds in heaven had Inuyasha there to cradle her in his arms, they might be.

"Good morning." he smirked down at her.

"Too early." she grumbled as she buried her head into his shoulder. They were both naked, covered only by the sheet that someone, she thought it was probably him, had pulled up to cover them from the waist down.

"You're even more beautiful without clothes." he said playfully and she smacked his shoulder. But she was smiling.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"10:34." he said looking at the clock. "I'll have to say, that worked a lot better than I planned."

"What did?" Kagome asked as she smiled, anticipating a joke.

"Getting you here." he shrugged carelessly.

Kagome froze and her smiled faded. "What do you mean?"

Showing all the density of a lead brick, Inuyasha said, without a single care, "Of course I had a game plan. I got to say, it was easier than I thought." He began nuzzling her neck, completely oblivious to anything being wrong.

"Easy." she repeated without any infliction. "You mean, you knew were going to get here?"

"Of course." he smirked. "I thought I did pretty well."

"So, everything you've said to me so far was a lie?"

Still, he noticed and suspected nothing. "No, babe. Just rehearsed."

Somehow, that made it worse.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" he kissed her neck.

"Get out."

He stopped. Paused, then leaned back. He, finally, saw the look of pure fury on her face.

"Babe, what's wrong?' he asked as he frowned.

"I said, get out." she repeated calmly.

"I don't...I don't understand." he sat up. "Why are you angry?"

"You planned this?" she asked as she sat up on the side of her bed. "What? Was this all a big game to you?"

"No!" he protested as a warning bell in his head screamed 'DANGER! DANGER!'

"Did you write down that pretty speech from the other day? Was all that 'rehersed'?"

"Kagome, why are you-"

"I said get out!" she yelled at him as she jumped from the bed and began pulling on the first clothes that came to hand.

"What's your problem?" he stood up and wrapped a sheet around his waist.

"You're my problem!" she twirled and glared at him. "Plan? Rehearsed! Did you have a schedule?"

"You're taking this too seriously." he glared.

"You're not taking this seriously enough!" she yelled. "Was I just a notch in your bedpost?"

"I didn't say that!" he snapped. "Don't put words in my-"

Kagome didn't think, at times like this she never did. One minute he was yelling at her, the next she was blinking in confusion wondering just how her fist had somehow planted itself in someone's face.

Inuyasha cried out in pain as his nose started bleeding.

Kagome wasn't sure how it happened and she really didn't care. She didn't waste time. She grabbed his jeans off the floor, pushed him out of her room, her house, threw him and the jeans outside.

"And don't come back!" she slammed the door and locked it tight.

She turned and leaned against the door, her anger making her breathing labored. It was silent for a moment before she realized she wasn't alone.

She turned her head and saw Sango blinking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"How long have you been there?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I came in about the time you through a naked, bleeding Inuyasha out of our house. Not that I don't approve, but can I ask why?"

"He's an asshole." Kagome crossed her arms.

Sango blinked then looked at Kagome's legs. "Why are you wearing his pants?"

Kagome looked down as well and noticed, what she had missed in her anger, that the jeans she had on were far too big.

"And he stole my pants!"

"Technically, you threw them at him." Sango laughed.

Kagome turned and looked through the peephole but he had already gone.

"At least you get the pleasure of knowing he has to walk home in a sheet." Sango pointed out.

"He had to ruin it." Kagome seemed to deflate as all the anger left in a rush leaving only sadness and hurt in its place. "It had been a great night and he ruined it."

Sango's smile dropped and she walked to her friend's side. She pulled her into her arms as Kagome began crying. "It's okay, honey." she said gently. "He's gone now. Everything will be better."


	15. A Paper

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

...

**A Paper**

After that, Kagome's life became, for lack of a better word, boring. Old Lady G wasn't around to ask for advice or hear an amusing story from. There was no more Inuyasha staring and drawing.

She thought, she hoped, that he would have tried to contact her somehow. That he would try some way to say he was sorry. To make an attempt to apologize.

Something!

But she never saw him. She never heard from him. He might have never existed at all.

She went to school, she went to work, she came home. Sango was happier. She thought it was the best thing that could have happened.

Kagome was just sad. Sad he 'planned'. Sad he left. Sad he wasn't even trying to come back. He hadn't even pressed charges!

Everything was just too quiet now...

* * *

After she had socked him one and thrown him out, Inuyasha had been dismayed to find out that the pants in his hands weren't his. More than that, that the only thing he had on was a sheet. And, to top it all of, Kagome had picked him up last night so the only thing he could do was walk home.

He hadn't minded the punch, and by the time he got back to him dorm the bleeding had stopped. He just sat on his bed and looked at the wall across from hadn't broken his nose, though his face was bruise -the girl could pack one hell of a punch!- so once the bleeding had stopped, he didn't worry about it anymore.

He wanted to go back, or call her at least. Demand to know what her problem was, apologize, re-seduce her; he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do exactly. He wasn't even 100% sure what he did wrong. He knew what she thought was wrong but he didn't know why having a plan to get the girl of his dreams in his arms was so bad.

In fact, he had been so focused on that plan that the exhabition had completely escaped his mind. Sketching her had turned into an excuse to just be near her. To stare and admire her. An excuse to watch her and be around her.

However, now the exhibition was only two weeks away and he had no painting for it. He had no idea what painting he even wanted to do for it! Kikyo had bored, Kagome eluded him; if only he could somehow merge the two-

That was when the idea hit.

He didn't need two paintings for the exhibition. Duality was the theme this year and he thought that nothing could be more than the sunrise and sunset. Duality, opposite pairings, equal in beauty but opposite.

He lept from his bed and grabbed his favorite sketch book off his desk.

As if ti had a will of its own, his pencil flew across the page. Drawing quickly, he put his idea down. Sunrise, sunset. Kagome, Kikyo. One painting, one entity.

This was what he had been looking for.

He got to work.

* * *

The elder woman looked at the young man in glasses expectantly. All around them, the sounds of people admiring the painting echoed. His audience for his tale had grown quite a lot and still the old couple looked at him with rapt attention.

"Well?" she said impatiently. "Come on, that can't be all. Finish the story." Her husband nodded in agreement as many other voices concurred.

The young man smiled politely. "I did. That's the story of how this painting was born." He motioned to it. "That was what you asked for. I gave you just that."

The woman frowned at him. "Don't tease. What happened after that? Surely it didn't end there."

The man chuckled. "Do you truly want to hear the rest?"

"If I don't, I'll surely die of curiosity."

He held his hands up in defeat. "Very well. If you insist. Well, let me think. After that, things got quiet for about a week. Then, one day, Kagome was looking through the paper. To find the funny pages for Sango, you understand. When...

* * *

"Oh, Kami..." Kagome said quietly in shock.

"What?" Sango asked as she looked up from making omelets. She was on breakfast duty while Kagome got her the funny pages. Sango did love the funny pages.

"Sango, come here! look at this!" Kagome said urgently as she flattened the paper ont he table.

"What is it?" Sango walked over and looked down at the bolded black letters that made up the top line.

**Obituary**

Staring up, a smile on her face, was an old woman with snowy white hair, penciled in eyebrows, and a face that looked older than what it really was.

"Is that..." Sango gasped.

"Hime Grayson, 52, passed away last night." Kagome read sadly. "Grayson, a beloved mother of two and grandmother of one, contracted brain cancer last year." Kagome's voice broke for a second. "'She never let it slow her down' her son said. 'She lived her life despite it just as she always had.' Grayson was a business genius. She was able to accumulate her fortune by investing in ideas and inventions that no one else would believe though they always seemed to work. At the end of her life, she held shares and stocks in several large companies and businesses. 'Her proudest one, though,' her daughter said, 'was a little tea shop called Rin's. She loved that tea shop as if it were one of her own children. She went there every day right up until the doctor said she couldn't leave the hospital anymore.'"

"Oh, Kami." Sango echoed Kagome, tears in her eyes. Her knees went weak and she collapsed into a chair next to Kagome. "Old Lady G..."

"She never said a thing." Kagome cried, her tears had already fallen and were blurring the ink on the newspaper. "And I spent all that time complaining about my problems."

"Brain cancer." Sango said dully. How was that even possible?

"This is a joke right?" Kagome asked desperately. "A bad joke?"


	16. A Letter

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

4

**A Letter**

Three days later, Lady G's lawyer got in contact with Kagome.

She went to his office that Saturday, already depressed because Inuyasha still hadn't contacted her.

He didn't press charges but what if he was actually mad? The thought was extremely depressing.

Then she had to go meet with the lawyer of a woman she hadn't even known was seriously ill who had just died. Not to mention that the woman was a dear friend and advisor. That was the worst part. She had troubled her with her petty problems while she had had serious issues in her life. And she never mentioned it, not once. Kagome was complaining because of stupid stuff and Lady G had been thinking about family and helping her.

"Ah, Ms. Higurashi." her lawyer smiled at her when he opened the door to his office at her knock. He wasn't a very large man, his frame was kind of wiry and unimpressive. But the wedding ring on his finger proved that someone thought he was hot stuff. "My apologies for your loss." he said looking appropriately sad and still professionally distant. "Please, come in."

He opened the door wider for her and stood back so she could enter. He was obviously expensive because his office looked more like a showroom than a workroom. An expensive rug was laid out on the floor, the books on his bookshelves covering his left wall were all uniform and completely dust free. The couches were designer as was the desk that had a window looking out onto a lovely view of the Japanese skyline. And on the desk was a photo of a woman, obviously his wife, holding and infant. They looked happy.

"I would have given you your inheritance at the same time as the rest of the family and friends but Mrs. Grayson specifically requested you be done separately.

"Wait." Kagome shook her head in a daze as she sat on the comfy sofa he indicated for her. "What...inheritance?" It felt like her head was full of white noise and words weren't making sense any more.

"Ah, well, Mrs. Grayson left you a large sum of money and-"

"What?" Kagome jumped up as if someone had electrocuted her. "She did what?"

"And she left you this letter." He continued as if she hadn't spoken. He reached into his fancy suit and pulled out a sealed envelope.

Kagome took it with numb hands and looked at it in shock. Her name was written on it in neat calligraphy. At least, she thought it was her name. Nothing was making sense any more.

For a brief moment, she wasn't even entirely sure what to do with it. The lawyer, as if sensing her dilemma, took it from her when she obviously wasn't going to open it. He walked over to his desk and took a small letter opener off of it. With a practiced slice, he had it open and, in silence, gave it back to her. And still, she could only stare at it blankly.

Then, habit kicked in and she pulled the letter out with shaky hands. It took her a minute to unfold it and another to remember how to read.

'My dear Kagome;

It took me a while to figure out how to write you this. I could have gone with the whole 'if you're reading this' routine but I figured it would be cliché. So, I'll just dive right into it. As you're no doubt aware, I actually have a lot of money. I had a wonderful family, a group of darling friends, and a disease that was eating away at my body. And still, I was luckier than most.

In my last few months of life, all I wanted was to enjoy my tea and spread my luck and happiness to the waitresses at Rin's. Which is, of course, why I gave you such large tips and such long stories. Then, fate also chose to give me one last blessing in my last moments of life.

You, my dear.

In you, darling Kagome, I got the chance to re-live that first love and the youth to enjoy it. I adored listening to your tales of you and Inuyasha's experiences. It was almost like being able to fall in love with my Tamaki again.

You never knew my Tamaki, my doting husband who dies some years before me. He reminded me so much of your Inuyasha. he wasn't an artist, true. We met in the hippie days at high school. He was the hippie, I was the steadfast good girl. Oh, at times he drove me mad! His hippie work was all he ever seemed to care about, in between trying to seduce me. When I finally gave in and let him win me over, it was incredible. He still drove me crazy, but it wasn't long before he made me fall in love all over again.

This makes me think of you. Kagome, you're much more hot-headed than me. Therefore, forgiveness won't come as easily. So, this is my last piece of advice for you.

Sometimes, saying nothing is the best option, others you have to talk it out. And at time, you just have to accept that you're wrong. That the fault wasn't his but yours.

Sometimes people can't do that and I've seen many relationships fall apart because of it. And I know if I hadn't faced it when I was your age, me and Tamaki wouldn't have had the time we did before the car accident took him from me.

Also, you have to remember that, like my Tamaki, Inuyasha is his own man. I'm afraid that you, like I did, will fault him for something he can't help.

Being himself.

Tamaki was a hippie until the day he died. He fought for animal rights, the environment, civil rights, he even joined the peace core. You're Inuyasha is exactly who he is. He's an artist, he'll think like an artist and act like an artist. But more than that, he'll act like himself and would you love him if he was anything else?

As a female, I'll say 'A man is an idiot'. As an elder, who has had years more experience than you, I'll say 'yet females have the tendency to overreact'. So, that's my last wisdom to pass on. Forgiveness and awareness.

Also, because you've given me so much happiness, I've decided to return the favor. I'm giving you enough money to pay off your student loans and finish out college. I hope you're life is as full of joy as mine was. And I hope, and maybe its my happily ending loving side speaking, but I hope you and Inuyasha work out.

All the love in my heart, and all the thanks in my soul,

Old Lady G ( and yes, I did know about this nickname)'

Kagome lowered the letter, her shoulders slumped. The lawyer was talking about a bank account and handing her a credit card for it, but it sounded like fuzz in her ears.

Old Lady G...

Enough money to pay off her loans would already have been more generous than she could imagine but to finish paying for her schooling?

What a good woman...

Kagome looked down and re-read the letter, more specifically, the advice.

How could she have known? How could she know Kagome would end up mad at Inuyasha?

'And at times you just have to accept that you're wrong.'

But it was Inuyasha's fault wasn't it? His 'plan'? His 'rehearsal'!

'A man is an idiot'

Exactly! An idiot! A stupid, immature, conniving, convoluted, idiot!

'Yet females have the tendency to overreact.'

Kagome hadn't overreacted! She had given him exactly what he deserved!

'The fault wasn't his, but yours'.

He was being an asshole!

'Inuyasha is exactly who he is.'

He...he...

'He'll act like himself and would you love him if he was anything?'

"I have to go." Kagome said suddenly, jumping back up from the couch. When had she sat down?

"Ma'am?" the lawyer looked startled. She had probably cut him off mid-sentence but she didn't really care.

"I'm sorry." Kagome beamed. "I have to go now."

She didn't say another word, she just fled from the room.

The lawyer blinked in shock. "How did she know?" he asked no one as he looked at his desk where his instructions from Lady Grayson sat.


	17. A World

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

Never apologize for a long review. Especially a long, good review. The author that doesn't appreciate that is an idiot.

3

**A World**

Inuyasha lived in a world of color.

He didn't see shapes, he didn't see shades, he didn't see light or darkness. He lived in a world of color.

Blue, green, aquamarine, white, silver; what they called the sea.

Orange, red, yellow, white, dark blue; what they called the sunset.

Alternatively, pink, purple, gold, sky blue; the dawn.

But most importantly...

Cocoa, amber, inky black, ivory, gold dust, cream.

Duality.

Inuyasha wouldn't say he was a believer in things like fate and destiny. But he also wouldn't say he was against the idea.

For how could it be mere coincidence that, just before the duality themes exhibition, that his subject meets her doppelganger? How could it be chance that he is given the chance to draw her, the chance to study her?

He painted them together. He had no time for an initial sketch on the actual paintin. Not with only two weeks until the exhibition. So he just grabbed his paint and started painting based on the rough sketch in his book.

He lived in a world of color, he would paint in a world of color.

To the east, on the left, he had the sunrise. Opposite that, he had his sunset. Each feeding off each other as the rise brought light and the set brought darkness. Center stage, grays, blacks, whites; the outcropping of rock. Kagome, facing the sunrise, Kikyo her back to the sunset. They blended together, the same but different. Two different women, two phases of his life. This was the meeting, the transition.

He immersed himself in his world of colors. He stopped thinking, art wasn't about logic or reason. He forgot reality, all he knew was the colors. When darkness threatened to eclipse his world, a flipped switch returned things to how they should be.

After that, he dfidn't move. He followed and obayed basic anatomical needs, but he never left his world. He resisted sleep until the colors turned gray. He resisted hunger until his arm started shaking. He resisted the bathroom until his eyes watered from pain.

There might have been a voice in his mind, telling him he needed to pause. However, his world of colors held no sound and the voice went unheard and unheeded.

All sound went unheard. He didn't listen to the radio while he painted, because it would do nothing. Noise didn't exist in sight.

He didn't hear the AC switch on and off. He didn't hear the guy next door's party. He didn't hear the cound of his phone ringing. He didn't hear knocking on his door.

Because he lived in a world of colors.

Off white they called walls. Forest brown they called carpet. Deep ocean blue they called blanket. But most importantly...

Cocoa, amber, inky black, ivory, gold dust, and cream.

Sensations existed in his world of colors, each had its own set of colors.

Sweet pinks, soothing yellows, loving blues.

He allowed the colors to consume him, to fill him with their presence. Then they changed.

Fiery reds, desperate oranges, flashing blues, depthless blacks.

A storm of colors, swirling and surging and taking him over.

Noisy hot pinks, searing yellows, electric blues.

The colors kept changing, never the same. First one way then another. Shocking and dizzying and taking over.

Poisonous purples, radiant greens, passionate reds.

They mixed and blended showing him one color then another then back again. They splintered and fragmented.

Hot cocoa, shimmering amber, shining black, glimmering ivory, sparkling gold dust, silken cream.

Not many knew that mixing every color didn't make black.

Always around him, in him, through him was the cocoa and the amber and the black and the ivory and the gold dust and the cream.

Black was an absence of color. Instead...

A searing, blinding white.

* * *

Inuyasha came to consciousness slowly. Not as if he were relaxed and content but as if he were using a muscle ha hadn't exercised in a long time.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself looking into darkness. Hadn't he turned the light on...how long ago was it?

And when had he got in bed? When had he turned out the light? What day was it?

He looked at his easel but the painting on it was enshrouded in darkness.

He sat up, only now noticing that he was naked, and put a hand to his head as he struggled to remember. He was naked? How did that happen?

The only thing that came to mind was the memory of colors.

He heard a small, feminine groan and froze.

He turned, slowly, and saw, to his amazement, that Kagome was nestled in his bed.

She was naked too and it didn't take a rocket scientist to add two and two.

She groaned again, took in a deep breath, then her eyes fluttered open.

To his shock, she smiled sleepily at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he gaped at her like a fish out of water. She turned on her back and stretched in contentment.

"Why are you here?" he asked pretty sure, and only realizing it after the words had jumped out of his mouth, that he would probably get into trouble for that statement.

She surprised him again by giggling. Actually giggling!

"I didn't think you would remember." she pointed to his bedside table where a plate, empty of all but a few crumbs, sat. "I brought cinnamon buns." She laughed as if she had told a good joke.

Inuyasha blinked at the plate. For some inexplicable reason, thinking about cinnamon buns made his body hot and...ready.

He jumped when Kagome pressed her lips to his shoulder blade before wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. Her breasts pressed into his back and he struggled to control himself.

"I think you black out from lack of food sometimes." she said as she started playing with his fingers. "You don't remember when you wake up."

"No." he said gently as he watched her hand intwine with his. "I don't black out." That world of color had many dark colors, but no black. Black wasn't a color. It was a lack of color. White, that blinding, earth-shattering, light at the end, was color. All colors. Black out wasn't the right term.

"Huh?" she looked at him in confusion and her face was so cute.

"I thought you were mad at me." he said though it sounded almost like a question.

"I was." she said indifferently as she laid back on his bed, exposing her body to him shamelessly.

He fought back the sudden, almost overpowering, urge to take her and re-live that time ha had missed when he was out of it. Instead, he asked, still not able to tear his eyes from her form, "What changed your mind?"

Her eyes, so contented before, went a little sad. "I got some good advice."

"Huh?" he looked at her curiously but she didn't expand further.

"I didn't mean to make you run." he said unhappily when she didn't speak. "Or, technically, throw me out. I didn't mean anything bad by what I said."

She glued her eyes to his as she listened.

"I didn't mean to say you were a game or easy or anything like that." he continued sadly. "And I never lied to you. I meant every word."

She smiled and held her arms open to him. An invitation so tempting he couldn't say no.

he sank into her soft warmth with a contented sigh as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"I know." she kissed him gently. "And I'm sorry for overreacting and not listening."

He grinned.

"After all, you are who you are and who you are says stupid things."

He frowned.

She opened her mouth to continue but he swooped down and sealed her mouth with his own, effectively shutting her up.


	18. A Sale

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I swear.**

And now, my dear friends, we come to the last chapter in my latest story. I know, I know, I'm sad too. I thought it would be, like the other things from my dry spell, useless. However, good news is that it was not! I finished it! (and there was much rejoicing) I hope it wasn't too rushed like the ones I did finish in my dry spell were. I hope the ending came about naturally and I hope you enjoyed it. And please, stay tuned for more, better, stories in the future :).

**A Sale**

A few hours later, Inuyasha got up, found a pair of jeans, pulled them on, and flipped on the light.

He took one last, lingering, look at Kagome, who was looking up at him from her position on the bed where she was entangled in his sheets, before turning to his easel.

His easel, now in the light, proudly displayed the panting he had lost himself in.

"It's beautiful." Kagome said as she looked at it." The way she said it made Inuyasha think she had said the same before and was only repeating it now because she knew he couldn't remember.

He turned his head an analyzed it.

There was something...compelling about the painting. He had managed to paint only one girl but she gave the impression of being two. The sunrise and sunset and sea and rock blended and blurred just slightly so that the girl was trapped in his world of color.

She was smiling yet she seemed to be frowning. Her eyes were open but gave the impression of being closed. She wore a flimsy cotton dress, or was it a sassy pair of leather pants? There wasn't a single line or defining area of separation. Cream melded into gray, amber into orange, black into red. It was...wonderful.

It also wasn't finished.

Without really thinking about it, although never forgetting-for how could he?- the naked Kagome in his bed, he began working. It was a habit, almost instinct to grab a brush and some paint and begin painting.

Kagome watched him in fascination as his mind just flipped and was immediatly in work mode. She had thought the paitning finished, but apparently he saw something she didn't. And even from the first brush stroke, it became more complete, more awe inspiring.

Feeling more peaceful than years of anger management had ever made her, she lay her head on her arms and watched him.

She knew he wasn't fat, probably because he sometimes went days without eating, but she hadn't been expecting the kind of body he had. And the first time she actually got a chance to admire it she had been in no mood. But that wasn't the case now.

She saw the muscles of his arm go taut as he lifted it and added color and definition to his work. Of course his arm more have more muscle tone because of the constant demands put on it. However, his chest? And broad shoulders? She saw a gym membership hanging from a lanyard sitting on his bedside table when she had set the plate down earlier. She hadn't expected him to be the vain type. The again, it was obviously working for him.

She watched as the muscles of his back bunched up and glided smoothly beneath his skin as he moved.

Her artist and hers alone. She had never really understood art art, at least not deeply. She liked a nice painting as much as the next person, but it had never been a huge thing to her. Even now she could say that his painting was lovely but she didn't find it soul moving. But also she knew that history, what she did find fascinating and intriguing, bored Inuyasha. They had opposite interests and yet...

Inuyasha was half re-immersed in his world of colors when he felt hands on his shoulders, kneading the taut muscles there. She bent down and kissed the back of his neck.

He smiled and kept painting. And for the first time, someone joined him in his world of color and he didn't lose himself in it.

* * *

How had the summer passed so quickly? Was it really two months ago that Kagome busted, or rather punched, her way into his life?

"Do you got it?" she asked as he lifted his completed painting out of the back of her car.

"Yeah," he said being careful to avoid the paint. He was sure it was dry now but he wasn't willing to risk it. He had never finished a painting so quickly before. He had only added the last touches yesterday.

Yesterday night, while Kagome had been sleeping, tired from their earlier activities, in _his_ bed.

"Thanks for the ride." he said as he pushed the memory to the back of his mind. If he was lucky he would get a replay that night.

"Thank, kami!"

They both turned and saw the director of the museum, and the exhibition, walking quickly out of the museum towards them. Flanking him on either side was a severe looking female and a bored looking male. The director himself was a rather plain looking man with a pair of glasses perched delicately upon his nose. "And I though you weren't going to make it."

The two silent ocmpanions stepped forward and relieved Inuyasha of his burden before turning and taking it inside.

"You cut it too close." the director chastised him. "You know the exhibition is tonight! You are the center piece! What would we have done if you hadn't made it? What took you so long anyway?" he sighed unhappily.

"It's a long story." Inuyasha laughed.

"He was working as fast as he could." Kagome apologized for him.

"Come on." the director said to Inuyasha. "I need you to help me get the painting in the right position. And tell me what took so long damn it!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'll be back." he smiled at Kagome. "Look around for a while."

"Okay." Kagome nodded.

Inuyasha winked at her before going to the director's side.

"Well?" the man said impatiently as he walked with Inuyasha inside the building."

"Well, it all started with Kagome." Inuyasha laughed at the memory.

After a second, Kagome followed them inside but as soon as she walked inside, they had already disappeared. Because he said she could, Kagome walked around and looked at Inuyasha's competition.

There were sculptures of clay and wood and metal and glass. Paintings of all shapes and colors and sizes. And, in some rooms, sheet music next to a small CD player that played the gentle melody on the paper. Everywhere, Kagome saw duality, the theme. Darkness contrasting with light, color contrasting with gray, high contrasting with low.

She managed to make her way around to the largest room where she saw Inuyasha gazing up at his painting on the wall. The director was no where in sight.

"What do you think?" he asked when he heard her footsteps approaching.

"Your's is the best." she said as she went to his side and slipped her hand into his and put her head on his shoulder.

"So, what will happen to it?" she asked as they gazed at his work.

"Someone will buy it. Hopefully." he smiled.

Kagome frowned. "You're just going to let someone take it?"

"I'm an artist." he shrugged. "I share my work with the world."

She nodded in understanding but her frown didn't fade.

"Would you prefer I not let it be sold?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. It's best for you."

"I'll make you a new painting." he promised. "A painting even better than this that you don't share with Kikyo."

She smiled and hugged his waist. "I don't need it." she looked up at him. "I just think we'll miss the memory."

He grinned. "I don't remember the best parts anyway."

"You've more than made up for that." she pointed out dully.

He smirked at the memory of the last few days. Or rather, nights.

"Are you nervous?" she asked as she turned her eyes back to the painting. It hadn't been framed, that would be up to the discretion of the future owner. It was displayed at the center of the room.

"No." he said without hesitation. "Even if it doesn't sell, I know who I'll give it to."

Kagome smiled and snuggled into his side.

* * *

"What a lovely story." the elderly lady sighed happily. Lady Grayson had been a dear friend of hers and her death three weeks ago had hit her hard. This was the first time she had been out since. Such a connection to her in the story made her, for some reason, believe it all the more.

"Are Inuyasha and Kagome here now?' her husband asked.

The director nodded. "They're around somewhere. Why?"

"I want to thank him for my new painting." he said slyly.

His wife beamed and put her arms through his. "Let's go find them, dear. I want to see this girl who was a friend of my friend.


End file.
